Memory, emotion, and prefrontal cortex

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In this project, I seek to understand the relation between emotion and memory in the human brain. Emotional events and life experiences tend to be more easily recollected than everyday ones, and studies of emotion and memory in the laboratory have shown that emotional stimuli (such as words or pictures) are generally easier to remember than neutral ones. This phenomenon has been labelled the "emotional enhancement of memory" (EEM) effect, but its brain basis has only recently begun to be explored. So far, cognitive neuroscience studies have focused on the amygdala and its interactions with the hippocampus in exploring the brain basis of EEM. However, in this project I propose to examine the potential role of prefrontal cortex (PFC) in EEM. PFC has massive interconnections with the amygdala and hippocampus, and has been implicated in the relation between emotion and cognitive functions other than memory. Although there are a few functional neuroimaging studies that have explored emotion and memory in the PFC, human lesion studies are few. Specifically, I seek to determine 1) whether prefrontal degeneration or damage affects the EEM effect, 2) whether particular regions of prefrontal cortex are more important than others in supporting EEM, and 3) the potential effects of valence, arousal, and organization. In our first line of research, I will study patients with Parkinson's disease, who show structural deterioration of all three critical brain regions: the hippocampus, the amygdala, and prefrontal cortex. In the second line, I will study patients with focal prefrontal lesions. This work will tell us more about how the relation between emotion and memory is supported by the brain, and whether (and how) the prefrontal cortex plays a critical role.